An American F-35 stealth jet flying over Iran was forced to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East after being hit by what US officials believe was Iranian fire, sources tell CNN. A US Central Command spokesperson said the aircraft was on a combat mission when it was struck; the jet landed safely and the pilot is said to be in stable condition. A statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guard cited by the AP said that its air defense network had done a number on an F-35 aircraft. The incident is said to be under investigation.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time Iran has damaged a US aircraft in the conflict that began in late February. The US and Israel are both operating F-35s in the war; each plane carries a price tag north of $100 million. The US has already lost other aircraft in the fighting, including three F-15s accidentally downed by Kuwaiti defenses and a KC-135 refueling plane that crashed in western Iraq last week, killing all six on board, though the military says that crash also wasn't caused by hostile fire.
Despite this latest incident, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Thursday that the US is "winning decisively" and that Iran's air defenses have been "flattened." The Independent lays out some grim stats on the conflict so far: No fewer than 1,200 Iranians have been killed, along with 10,000-plus wounded, and 13 US service members have perished, while more than 140 have been injured. The Times of India has more on how Iran's infrared systems may have been able to effectively target this "ghost of the skies."
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